Book: Konstantin Borisov “To Hire or Not to Hire? Or How to Interview a Developer”

In our turbulent times, people change jobs much more frequently than they did in the relatively recent past. In the 1950s-60s in the US, many people would join a company for life—it was the norm. In the USSR, with its system, there were often entire dynasties working at the same place. Working at the same job for life was almost a family tradition for many—grandfather at the factory, father in the same place, and the grandson destined to follow.

The “family” approach to building a team has many advantages, and I must admit, I often grow attached to a team myself. However, modern careers are all about constant job changes and constant interviews. These days, every manager seems to pride themselves on the number of interviews they’ve conducted. It’s strange that the quality of these interviews is discussed far less often, even though it’s much more important (after all, conducting interviews is just part of a manager’s job in a growing company).

I’ve come across numerous articles and books on topics like “how to write the perfect resume” or “how to ace an interview” (including a book I previously mentioned, Résumé for a Million by my former colleagues). However, there’s far less information about how to conduct interviews properly. Personal experience shows that not everyone is good at it (since I go through various interviews quite often, and it helps me stay sharp).

And then, unexpectedly, I stumbled upon the book To Hire or Not to Hire? by Konstantin Borisov. It’s relatively short, but once I started reading, I couldn’t put it down. It’s honestly one of the best management books I’ve read in recent years. Practically no fluff—everything is to the point, with clear arguments. The book primarily focuses on how to interview developers in the IT industry, but most of the material is applicable to any interview and isn’t specifically tied to IT. I’m not sure where the author works, but the company is certainly lucky to have such an interviewer.

Anyone who professionally conducts candidate interviews usually has their own methodology (though not all of them are productive or high-quality). The most important thing, however, is to clearly understand what you aim to achieve with each interview, what each stage is for, and what purpose every question serves. Konstantin Borisov explains and justifies practically every example and piece of advice in his book, which is what I appreciate most about his approach.

That said, there was only one statement in the book I openly disagreed with, and it appears right at the beginning. He claims that while there are many training programs in IT, “there are no training sessions for interviewers.” That’s where he got it wrong. Such training sessions do exist, and some companies even specialize in them. For example, I once received certification for DDI: Targeted Selection: Interviewer. Not everything in this methodology resonated with me, but the key point is: such training programs are out there.

Now, let’s finally talk about the book.

It’s logical that the author begins by explaining why interviews are necessary in the first place and what goals we should set for ourselves. And as counterintuitive as it may seem, the main goal of any interview is not simply to answer the question: “to hire or not to hire.” Konstantin Borisov identifies three main objectives, and I completely agree with them:

1. Build a candidate profile.
   This means that within the allotted time, you need to understand a lot about the person—not just their technical skills but also what motivates them, how they behave in a team, what situations might stress them out, and so on.
2. Leave a positive impression of the company.
   Believe it or not, this is still something many fail to grasp. Even if the candidate isn’t a good fit, they should leave the meeting with a positive feeling, so they can share that experience with others. Who knows? This might help you find a new colleague through their network, or the candidate themself might return to you later, better prepared.
3. Improve your own soft skills.
   This is an excellent point because any interview is a two-way process. The interviewer learns how to evaluate people and communicate effectively. It’s a skill like any other, and the more interviews you conduct, the better you’ll get at it. The author even mentions that interviews are essentially a practical exercise in negotiation skills, and that’s absolutely true.

And once these goals are achieved, it becomes much easier to answer the question of whether to hire someone, and, more importantly, who to choose from a list of several promising candidates.

The author also makes a point to emphasize that there’s no such thing as “bad” candidates. There are simply those who don’t fit your needs or those you weren’t able to assess properly. That’s why it’s essential to always treat every person who comes in for an interview with respect and understanding. After all, in most cases, they’re in a less advantageous position—they’re being evaluated, they fear making a bad impression, and they’re under stress. Always keep this in mind.

Every interview consists of several stages. Some follow a sequential order, while others can be combined. But all of them are present in one way or another:

1. Preparation for the interview.
   You need to review the candidate’s resume and any available information. For example, I don’t think it’s wrong to look up a candidate on social media to see what they write and how they live. Sometimes, this can tell you more about them than a professionally crafted resume. After all, you’re hiring a person, not a robot operating solely on technical algorithms.
2. HR interview (often called screening).
   This is usually a short interview focused on general questions, along with a brief introduction to the company.
3. Technical interview.
   The main goal here is to verify the candidate’s technical skills. As Konstantin Borisov notes, many people mistakenly think this is the only part of a “real” interview. He argues that this is because most people don’t know how to conduct other types of interviews.
4. Managerial interview.
   This stage focuses on assessing the candidate’s personality, building their profile, and determining how well they would fit within your particular company.
5. The job offer or rejection.

I started my career as a programmer, but for more than twenty years, I’ve been working in various managerial positions. So I can say that I’ve become fairly experienced in most stages of the hiring process. And, of course, I’ve made plenty of mistakes and learned the hard way. That said, I believe the “managerial” interview is the most important stage. Don’t get me wrong—the technical interview is necessary too. But many technical skills can be taught (provided you have the time and resources), whereas personal traits are much harder, if not impossible, to change. Identifying them within an hour or so of an interview is far more challenging than assessing technical knowledge. And even the technical assessment has its nuances, which the author discusses in detail in the corresponding chapter.

I won’t delve into all the stages here—it’s better to read the book yourself. Instead, I’ll highlight a few of the most important aspects, in my opinion.

• Always prepare for the interview. Reviewing the resume will give you a first impression and help you create a list of additional questions you want to ask during the meeting. If something specific catches your eye, make sure to highlight it—it could lead to a valuable topic for discussion.
• Start the interview by explaining its structure. Let the candidate know how long it will take, so they don’t get nervous when you’re taking notes, and outline your goals and the types of questions you’ll ask. Also, mention that you’ll be ready to answer their questions (as we want to leave a good impression of the company). It’s especially important these days to immediately clarify how you’ll address each other—using “you” formally or informally (in Russian it is a big difference)—because if this isn’t established, some candidates might feel uncomfortable.
• The first part of the interview should always be led by you. Konstantin Borisov explains this perfectly, and here’s why:

You’ll spend 10 minutes of your time, but you’ll show the candidate that you’re not just there to question them—you’re ready to have a conversation as equals. Moreover, you take on the first, and often the hardest, part of the discussion. This makes it much more comfortable for the candidate to answer your questions. They’ve already listened to you, gotten used to you, and had a chance to calm down.

At the same time, you set the tone for the conversation. You can choose to be strictly formal or, conversely, joke around, showing that even a serious discussion can be enjoyable. The key here is to be open.

• It’s always better to ask open-ended questions that don’t require a specific answer. This allows you to understand how the candidate thinks. If they respond with vague or generic statements, try to push for specifics. (In the worst-case scenario, you’ll learn that the candidate struggles to provide specifics, which is still valuable information for their profile!)
• Avoid showing whether you’re pleased or displeased with their answers. If the candidate picks up on your reactions, they’ll start tailoring their responses to what they think you want to hear.
• Pay attention to the candidate’s emotions and feelings during the interview, the words they use to describe different situations, and what exactly they’re describing. (Yes, words carry positive and negative connotations.) This helps you better understand what brings them satisfaction, what motivates them, and what might have the opposite effect. For instance, it’s more insightful to ask about their favorite project or what irritated them the most, rather than simply asking them to list the projects they’ve worked on.

But this is just a small part of what’s discussed in the book. I can’t recall another book where I’ve taken so many notes for myself.

The most important takeaway for me is a phrase the author says near the end of the book, which encapsulates its entire essence:

Every interview is just a small step in someone’s career journey, and it’s the interviewer’s responsibility to make that step leave warm feelings whenever possible.

So to say that I recommend this book is an understatement! And, by the way, the book is available for free on LitRes (sorry, only in Russian so far)!

My rating: 5++/5